Battered Aubergine 'Fish'

The idea for this recipe was inspired by The Edgy Veg, but I changed it slightly, as I was missing some ingredients, wanted to make it gluten free and cooked it slightly differently too.

1 aubergine
1 tsp seaweed salt
½ tsp lemon zest
500 ml vegetable stock
1 garlic clove crushed
100 g chickpea flour
50 g cornflour
Soda water
Salt and pepper
Rapeseed oil

Serves 2 (or 4 if you're not feeling greedy)

In a long casserole dish, mix the seaweed salt, vegetable stock, lemon zest and garlic and whisk to combine thoroughly, to make a marinade.

Cut the aubergine into ½" thick fillet shapes (length wise).   Add to the marinade, cover with clingfilm and leave for at least 5 hours.

Drain the aubergine slices, put onto a baking tray and cook in the oven at 200° until slightly soft, but not browned.

Sieve the chickpea flour and corn flour into a bowl, with plenty salt and pepper and add enough soda water to make a thick custard like batter.

Heat enough rapeseed oil, in a large frying pan, so the oil is 1 cm deep in the bottom of the pan.   Dip the aubergine slices into the batter and lay in the pan.

Fry on both sides for a couple of minutes.

Carefully take each aubergine slice out of the pan, re-dip in the remaining batter and put back in the pan.   Continue to cook, turning regularly to ensure even cooking, so the 'fish' is golden brown and crisp.

Serve with chips, mushy peas and some Sriracha tartare sauce.